Process for the folding of carton blanks



May 19, 1925.

1,538,299 J. w. NASMITH PROCESS FOR THE FOLDING OF CARTON BLANKS FiledApril 21, 1924 2 Sheets-Shet l 6 A 0 C .4 v1" F F i 5/ l I 0 C May 19,1925.

J. W. NASMITH PROCESS FOR THE FOLDING OF CARTON BLANKS 2 T1 -fl h li llk m--- 5 r H v MI Q Ah fl V a Q M M M Aw Q U a. Q m A) J. O A m w v m\ wm x E \w s Q W m b x ww a g w NM M mm mw Patented May 19, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN W. NASMITH, OF MZANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

PROCESS FOR THE FOLDING OF CARTON BLANKiS.

Application filed April 21, 1924. Serial No. 707,991.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoI-rN WILLIAM NA- SMITH, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain, and a resident of Heaton Mersey, Manchester, in thecounty of Lancaster, England, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Processes for the Folding of Carton Blanks, of which the following isa specification.

In apparatus as commonly used for the folding of carton blanks after thenecessary creasing has been effected, the blanks are fed lengthwise intothe folding machine and the flaps to be folded over are raised byinclined faces in their traverse through the machine. This of necessitycalls for a very long machine, occupying much space. The object of thepresent invention is to fold the flaps of the carton blanks over and onto the body or centre of the blank without the necessity of'providingthe long and spaceoccupying inclined faces just referred to, and tosimplify the folding apparatus generall With the aboveobjects in view mypr0cess consists in feeding thecreased blanks into the folding apparatusand traversing them therethrough in a direction. at right angles to thecreases on which they have to be folded, the foreinost'flap beingautomatically raised and folded over on the blank centre by retainingmeans during the traverse of the blank, and then folding over the rearflap by positive'means which operate in the direction of traverse 0f theblank.

Where a. small gluing flap isprovided on the edge of one of the flaps,that flap is the foremost in traversing the apparatus and it is glued byholding it momentarily in contact with a gluing roller and lifting itfrom said roller before the traverse of the blank brings the foremostfoldable. flap thereto, this lifting being automatically effectedby theedges of the foremost folda-. ble flap coming upon the means which raisethem as the first step in the operation of the folding thereof. I i

The process with a simple and convenient form of apparatus for carryingit out will now be fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein Figure 1 is a plan of a carton blank creased ready forfolding, a small gluing flap being shown attached to that foldable flapwhich is the "first to be folded in passing through the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a side view of the carton blank after the gluing flap hasbeen glued and the foremost foldable flap folded over;

Figure 3 is a similar view of the blank when the apparatus has completedthe fold- 111g;

Figure 4 is a view of the apparatus taken on a longitudinal section lineand showing one of each set of a plurality of units which effect thefolding, rollers being shown in section where they extend across theapparatus;

Figure 5 is a plan of the apparatus employed for arresting the edge of agluing flap whilst glue is applied thereto; and

Figures 6 and 7 are details.

The drawings are not to any special scale.

Referring to the figures, the cartons, ready cut and scored, are piledin a hopper of the usual kind and delivered one by one to the machine inthe usual manner. 'The feed rollers l, 2, and 1 and 2 pass the cartonsforward. The glue tank T is of the usual kind and revolving therein isthe glue roller R working in conjunction with the squeezing roller S-and operating as described in my British specification No. 8,263 of1911, so that a thin but regulata ble film of glue is carried round bythe roller S. The'tank and rollers can be removed when the machine isrequired to fold without gluing.

Between the feed rollers '1, 2, and the roller'S is a rod 3 carryingarms 4 adjustable lengthwise on the rod and to which are riveted a pairof blades 5 inclined as shown at 6. These blades are seen in plan inFigure 5 and one of them in perspective in Figure 6. The horizontal part5 is longer than the inclined part 6 and they are made in pairs. Theyare adjusted on the rod so that the body A B C of the carton to beoperated on will pass between the inner edges of the inclined part 6,over which only the end parts F of the cartons pass.

Above the blades 5 is a rod 7 free to rock in its bearings. It carriesfingers 8 adjusted longitudinally thereon and positioned so as to fallbetween the inclined parts 6 of the blades as shown in plan in Figure 5Means, such as the screw V, Figure 7, I

that the resistance of the fingers 8 to displacement by the onwardmoving carton can be nicely regulated and their return to normalposition assured when the carton has passed.

The function of these organs is as follows. The feed roller 1 is placedslightly forward of the centre of the roller 2 so as to direct the frontedege of the carton downwards as it issues from the rollers. It passesover the horizontal part of the blade 5 and the front edge under thefingers 8, which compel the underside of the lip A to touch the roller 8when this is in use. But only for an instant, because the end flaps F ofthe carton, riding up the inclined part ,6 of the blades, raise it andcause it also to push thefingers 8 away as they offer but slightresistance. \Vhen no gluing is required and the size ofthe cartonpermits they may be thrown over out of the way by turning the lever .L

over.

The swinging levers 9 Figured, are adjustable longitudinally on the freeshaft 10 and are each formed with a short arm 11 resting normallyagainst the cross bar 12 adjustable vertically int he slots 13 by thescrew 1%. The proximity of the lower end of the levers 9 to the blades 6can thus be regulated. They are positioned on their shaft as showninplan Figure 5, and receive the flaps F of the cartonas it passes off theinclined blades (3, giving way beforeit but offering some resistance byreason of the spring 32attacl1ed to a lever .28 fixed on the end of theshaft 10. Their function is to turn over the forwardend B of the cartonat theorease E assoon as-this has passed under the fingers 8 or is freefrom the rollers 1' 2, when the fingers are not in use. If the lip A hasbeen glued, the glue is now uppermost. As soonas the fold has been madethe doubledfront edge, of the carton (Figure 2) is presented naturallyover thefixed plate 1 5,to the grip of the transporting,rollers 16, 17.ltiwill be understood that 17 and also 18 arenot continuous rollers butbosses acting only on the end flaps F of the cartons and adjustablevlengthwise on their respective shafts M and X. to suit different widthsof cartons. The rollers 18,;19 carry the carton forward overthe plateQOso that the folded edge lfigureQ enters the recess 21 in the lower endsof the pendentlevers 22. There are a number of such leversfixed atregular intervals along theshaft 23, which isquite freeto rock in itsbearings 26. The lower lip of the recess Qlprojectsi-nto grooves 0formed in the curved front of thetransverse grid casting 27 whichreaches right across the machine resting on slides 2-1 formed on theframing. It canbeinoved nearer to or further from the rollers 18, 1 9 asrequired and, clamped in position. Que or t ereof the levers 2:2 isprovided with a projection 24; contacting with the set screw 25 in thecross bar connecting the bearings 26. These are adjustable along theframing of the machine and are connected to the grid casting 27 by therods 33. so that the pendent levers 22 can be adjusted along with thegrid as desired, in relation to the rollers 18, 19, in addition to asimilar but more limited adjustment by the screws The advancing car tonpushes the levers 22 away as it is forced up the curved face of the grid27, until the last crease D has passed over the faceof the plate 20 andas soon as .the flap C is {free from the rollers l8. l9 turns up totheposition of the dotted line N, being lifted by the teethof flutes of thebosses 18. The carton then collapses and the rear doubled edge passesdown between the face 29 ofthe plate 20 and the nose of the grid 27. asindicated by the arrow to the grip ofthe press roller 30, which. underspring pressure, squeezes the flap C against the lip Annd. if isgluedcauses it to adherethereto. The bosses 18 may bemade either withsquare orangular faces flutes or teeth, or the teeth maybe resilient,giving ay and sinking into Zthe body of theboss when contacting with thelower roller 19. Their function ,is .to raise the rear end of the cartonandbend itat the crease .D so that it will collapse under the weightofthelevers 22 andpa ss down to the press rollers, when it passes to acounting and stackingdevice of.the or dinary kind.

Iclaim 1. As a step in the preparation of a carton after the cartonblank hasbeen creased on ,the lines on which .it is to gbe ,folded,folding thesideflapsover upon theblank body by traversing the blankthrough an apparatus in a directionat right angles to the creases ofthesai d blankby means of a series of rollers, raising the outer edge ofthe foremost flapby fixed means withinthe apparatus and pressing sameagainst members which foldit over backwards upon the blanlcbo dy, andraising the reaiflflap of the blank to collapse the vlatter by meansoperating inthe direction of traverse of the blank co-acting with meansagainst which the folded over junction ofthe foremost flap and blankbody presses.

2. In combination with the, process elaimed inclaiin 1,.gluinga gluingflap attached to theforen'iost flap by holding it momentarily in contactwith a gluing roller .andglifting it therefrom by the means forraisingthe foremost edge of the -f0ldab1e flap, before the traverse, ofthe carton blank bringsthe said foremost foldable flap tosaid roller.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

a". w. saints

